Scanners problems

Customs officials in the ports of sea, canadians across the country have different means to inspect the containers, including scanners, HCVM, systems mobile x-ray imaging. However, these devices have shortcomings in their functioning.

According to information obtained by the Newspaper, the insurance, the devices HCVM, which must be operated by six employees have not been operational for 19% of the time in 2017-2018 and 13 %of the time in 2016-2017, at the port of Montreal.

Jean-Pierre Fortin, national president of the Union of customs and immigration, points out that these machines do not react well to extreme temperatures. «Especially at the ports of Montreal and Halifax, these machines often break when it’s very cold or very hot. They are not reliable and it takes a lot of time to get the service for repair. They are often placed at rancard «, he laments. It also specifies that these devices are not often used to trace stolen vehicles.

In addition to the problems of operation, the ports lack the resources and staff to be effective on the ground, » adds Mr. Fortin. This situation also affects the surveys when the vehicles are found, » he said.

«We seize the property, but the lack of resources prevents us from going further. We have a survey service, but the situation forces us to stop the seizure, you can’t go back to the source of the problem. The police will not do the investigation, and this, even though we know that Montreal is a major hub for the export of stolen cars. «In the case where the police does not investigate, the goods, such as stolen vehicles, must be returned to the export, so the thief or the recéleur,» said Mr. Fortin.